International Scientific Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development

The workshop was attended by about 60 scholars from many different countries and representatives of management agencies, training and research institutions on tourism at home and abroad.

Tourism development not only brings economic benefits but also contributes to poverty reduction, creates employment opportunities, promotes cultural exchange and global integration. However, tourism development also comes with environmental problems, such as increased waste, water and air pollution, climate change. Along with that are social evils such as prostitution and theft, often associated with the increase in domestic and international tourists.

These concerns have led to increased attention to “sustainable tourism development”. According to the definition of the WTO in 2005, sustainable tourism is “tourism that takes into account its present and future economic, social and environmental impacts, meeting the needs of tourists, industries, habitats and communities”. In Southeast Asian countries, where tourism has grown rapidly, the issue of sustainable tourism development is a cross-cutting concern. Although they are at different stages of their tourism development journey, all Southeast Asian countries are facing problems caused by unsustainable domestic/international tourism.

In this context, the Workshop “Sustainable Tourism Development: Lessons Learned from Southeast Asian Countries” was organized to create a forum for scholars, researchers, and tourism managers to exchange and share knowledge, research results and methods related to this work. The workshop focused on clarifying the current situation as well as essential issues of sustainable tourism in Southeast Asia, including precedents, challenges, limitations, and cooperation among Southeast Asian countries. From there, solutions, implications, and recommendations were proposed for countries.

Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Minh (Rector of University of Social Sciences and Humanities) delivered the opening speech of the conference.

In his opening speech, Prof. Dr. Pham Quang Minh (Rector of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities) highly appreciated the significance of the conference not only from a scientific perspective but also from a social perspective. The conference is a positive signal, showing the participation of Vietnam as well as Southeast Asian countries in contributing to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations. In addition, the Rector expressed his honor that the University of Social Sciences and Humanities continues to take on the role of an academic forum for domestic experts, scholars, and researchers to receive and exchange ideas with foreign partners; contributing to the goals of innovation and international integration of the University in particular and Vietnam in general.

MSc. Claudia Linditsch (Fh Joanneum University of Applied Sciences - Republic of Austria) introduces the TOURIST Project

Also in the opening session, delegates listened to a presentation introducing the TOURIST Project by MSc. Claudia Linditsch (Project Coordinator, Fh Joanneum University of Applied Sciences - Republic of Austria). The TOURIST Project focuses on building capacity centers for sustainable tourism development and innovative financial management strategies, aiming to enhance the positive impact of tourism in Thailand and Vietnam. The project conducts training on tourism and financial management methods for seven Vietnamese and Thai universities through four training courses; aiming to establish a TOURIST network and knowledge transfer forum. Three Vietnamese universities participate in the project: University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU; University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU-HCM; Hue University.

Delegates attending the conference took a souvenir photo

After the opening session, the workshop will take place until December 4 with 4 sub-committees:

Subcommittee 1: Generalization of sustainable tourism development

Subcommittee 2: Stakeholder engagement in sustainable tourism development

Panel 3: Different forms of sustainable tourism

Subcommittee 4: Planning and management of sustainable tourism development